What Makes Us Human?

Series 1

Series Summary No monkey business from Dr Armand Leroi

Is our behaviour really more than a matter of animal instinct? From gorillas that use sign language to make obscene suggestions to pinheaded people who can't use language at all, pigs who have learnt to hoover and sheep who fall in love, this series explores what really sets us apart from the beasts.

Evolutionary scientist Dr Armand Leroi explores how and why we became human, but instead of looking for clues in ancient fossils, he seeks out the oddities, aberrations and mutations around us in the present.

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Episodes (2)

  • Episode 1 Big Heads

    What is it that separates us from our animal cousins and makes us essentially human? For centuries, philosophers and archaeologists have…

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  • Episode 2 Copycats

    Having argued that the essential difference between ape and man is our big intelligent brain, Dr Armand Leroi explores how the special…

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